Foreign relations of Pakistan

Pakistan is the second largest Muslim country in terms of population (behind

Indonesia), and its status as a declared nuclear power, being the only Islamic nation to have
that status, plays a part in its international role. Pakistan is also an important member of the
Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). Pakistan is an active member of the United
Nations. Historically, its foreign policy has encompassed difficult relations with India, a
desire for a stable Afghanistan, long-standing close relations with China, extensive security
and economic interests in the Persian Gulf and wide-ranging bilateral relations with the
United States and other Western countries.

Wary of Soviet expansion, Pakistan had strong relations with both the United States
of America and the People's Republic of China during much of the Cold War. It was a
member of the CENTO and SEATO military alliances. Its alliance with the United States
was especially close after the Soviets invaded the neighboring country of Afghanistan. In
1964, Pakistan signed the Regional Cooperation for Development (RCD) Pact with Turkey
and Iran, when all three countries were closely allied with the U.S., and as neighbors of the
Soviet Union, wary of perceived Soviet expansionism. To this day, Pakistan has a close
relationship with Turkey. RCD became defunct after the Iranian Revolution, and a
Pakistani-Turkish initiative led to the founding of the Economic Cooperation Organization
(ECO) in 1985. Pakistan's relations with India have improved recently and this has opened
up Pakistan's foreign policy to issues beyond security. This development might completely
change the complexion of Pakistan's foreign relations. Bilateral and regional relations China
In 1950, Pakistan was among the first countries to break relations with the Republic of
China on Taiwan and recognize the People's Republic of China. Following the Sino-Indian
hostilities of 1962, Pakistan's relations with the PRC became stronger; since then, the two
countries have regularly exchanged high-level visits resulting in a variety of agreements.
The PRC has provided economic, military, and technical assistance to Pakistan. The alliance
remains strong. Favorable relations with China have been a pillar of Pakistan's foreign
policy. China strongly supported Pakistan's opposition to Soviet involvement in Afghanistan
and was perceived by Pakistan as a regional counterweight to India and the USSR. The PRC
and Pakistan also share a close military relation, with China supplying a range of modern
armaments to the Pakistani defense forces. Lately, military cooperation has deepened with
joint projects producing armaments ranging from fighter jets to guided missile frigates.
Chinese cooperation with Pakistan has reached high economic points with substantial
investment from China in Pakistani infrastructural expansion, including the noted project in
the Pakistani port in Gwadar. Republic of India Since independence, relations between
Pakistan and India have been characterized by rivalry and suspicion. Although many issues
divide the two countries, the most sensitive one since independence has been the status of
Kashmir.

At the time of partition, the princely state of Kashmir, though ruled by a Hindu
Maharajah, had an overwhelmingly Muslim population. When the Maharajah hesitated in
acceding to either Pakistan or India in 1947, some of his Muslim subjects, aided by
tribesmen from Pakistan, revolted in favor of joining Pakistan. India has long alleged that
regular troops from Pakistan had participated in the partial occupation of Kashmir from the
Western front. In exchange for military assistance in containing the revolt, the Kashmiri
ruler offered his allegiance to India. Indian troops occupied the central & eastern portion of
Kashmir, including its capital, Srinagar, while the west-north western part came under
Pakistani control.

India addressed this dispute in the United Nations on January 1, 1948. One year
later, the UN arranged a cease-fire along a line dividing Kashmir, but leaving the northern
end of the line undermarketed and the value of Kashmir (with the majority of the
population) under Indian control. India and Pakistan agreed with Indian resolutions which
called for an UN-supervised plebiscite to determine the state's future. Full-scale hostilities
erupted in September 1965, when insurgents who were trained and supplied by Pakistan
were operating in India-controlled Kashmir. (See Operation Gibraltar) Hostilities ceased
three weeks later, following mediation efforts by the UN and interested countries. In January
1966, Indian and Pakistani representatives met in Tashkent, U.S.S.R., and agreed to attempt
a peaceful settlement of Kashmir and their other differences. Following Pakistan's defeat in
the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Pakistan President Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Indian Prime
Minister Indira Gandhi met in the mountain town of Shimla, India, in July 1972 for the
Shimla Accord. They agreed to a line of control in Kashmir resulting from the December 17,
1971 cease-fire, and endorsed the principle of settlement of bilateral disputes through
peaceful means. In 1974, Pakistan and India agreed to resume postal and
telecommunications linkages, and to enact measures to facilitate travel. Trade and
diplomatic relations were restored in 1976 after a hiatus of five years. India's nuclear test in
1974 generated great uncertainty in Pakistan and is generally acknowledged to have been
the impetus for Pakistan's nuclear weapons development program. In 1983, the Pakistani
and Indian governments accused each other of aiding separatists in their respective
countries, i.e., Sikhs in India's Punjab state and Sindhis in Pakistan's Sindh province. In
April 1984, tensions erupted after troops were deployed to the Siachen Glacier, a high-
altitude desolate area close to the China border left undermarketed by the cease-fire
agreement (Karachi Agreement) signed by Pakistan and India in 1949. Tensions diminished
after Rajiv Gandhi became Prime Minister in November 1984 and after a group of Sikh
hijackers was brought to trial by Pakistan in March 1985. In December 1985, President Zia
and Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi pledged not to attack each other's nuclear facilities. (A
formal "no attack" agreement was signed in January 1991) In early 1986, the Indian and
Pakistani governments began high-level talks to resolve the Siachen Glacier border dispute
and to improve trade. Bilateral tensions increased in early 1990, when Kashmiri militants
began a campaign of violence against Indian Government authority in Jammu and Kashmir.
Subsequent high-level bilateral meetings relieved the tensions between India and Pakistan,
but relations worsened again after the destruction of the Babri Mosque by Hindu extremists
in December 1992 and terrorist bombings in Bombay in March 1993. Talks between the
Foreign Secretaries of both countries in January 1994 resulted in deadlock.

In the last several years, the Indo-Pakistani relationship has veered sharply between
rapprochement and conflict. After taking office in February 1997, Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif moved to resume official dialog with India. A number of meetings at the foreign
secretary and prime ministerial level took place, with positive atmospherics but little
concrete progress. The relationship improved markedly when Indian Prime Minister
Vajpayee traveled to Lahore for a summit with Sharif in February 1999. There was
considerable hope that the meeting could lead to a breakthrough. Unfortunately, in spring
1999 infiltrators from Pakistan occupied positions on the Indian side of the Line of Control
in the remote, mountainous area of Kashmir near Kargil, threatening the ability of India to
supply its forces on Siachen Glacier. By early summer, serious fighting flared in the Kargil
sector. The fighting lasted about a month and Indian forces were able to push back the
infiltrators (India accused that it was Pakistan's military which had occupied Indian posts in
the region. Indian Army left their posts in winter). The Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif fearing that Indian Army might enter into Pakistan chasing the infiltrators held a
meeting with the US president Bill Clinton in July and offered the withdrawal of Pakistan's
army from remaining posts with India, which India later on accepted. The Kargil war was a
severe blow to the image of Pakistan because of the army involvement in the war.

Relations between India and Pakistan have since been particularly strained,
especially since the October 12, 1999 Pakistani coup d'état in Islamabad. India has time and
again alleged that Pakistan provides monetary and material support to Kashmiri terrorists, a
charge which Pakistan has always denied. The last few years have been particularly
cantankerous in this regard, with India accusing Pakistan of abetting cross-border terrorism
from its territory. Pakistan claims to provide only moral support to the fighters and
maintains that the conflict is indigenous in nature. However, many of the terrorist outfits
like Lashkar-e-Taiba and others operating in Jammu and Kashmir have their offices in
Pakistan. The terrorist Maulana Masood Azhar, released from the Indian prison in 1999 in
exchange of Indian nationals, who were on board in an Indian Airlines Aeroplan, which was
going to New Delhi from Kathmandu, Nepal. It was hijacked by four Militants (all Pakistani
nationals, though Pakistan denied this) and was taken to Kandhar in Afghanistan. After
release from the Indian prison, Maulana Masood Azhar made a public appearance in
Pakistan and formed another terrorist outfit named Jaish-e-Mohammed. Hopes of peaceful
resolution of issues through dialogue have met a stalemate a number of times over the issue.
On June 20, 2004, both countries agreed to extend a nuclear testing ban and to set up a
hotline between their foreign secretaries aimed at preventing misunderstandings that might
lead to a nuclear war. Pakistan shares a long and porous border with Afghanistan (also
called the Durand Line). The border is poorly marked. The problem is exacerbated by close
relations between the fiercely-independent Pashtun peoples who live on both sides of the
border. Following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, the Pakistani Government
played a vital role in supporting the Afghan resistance movement and assisting Afghan
refugees. After the Soviet withdrawal in February 1989, Pakistan, with cooperation from the
world community, continued to provide extensive support for displaced Afghans. In 1999,
the United States provided approximately $70 million in humanitarian assistance to
Afghanistan and Afghan refugees in Pakistan, mainly through multilateral organizations and
NGOs. The overthrow of the Taliban Regime in November 2001 has seen somewhat
strained relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The present administration in Kabul
feels that the remnants of the former Taliban government are being supported by certain
factions within Pakistan. A large share of Afghanistan's foreign trade is either with, or
passes through, Pakistan.

India: -

Since partition, relations between Pakistan and India have been characterized by
rivalry and suspicion. Although many issues divide the two countries, the most sensitive one
since independence has been the status of Kashmir, with three of four wars having been
fought over Kashmir (in 1948, 1965 and the Kargil conflict in 1999 which mainly involved
irregular forces from Pakistan’s side).

After the first war in 1948, the UN arranged a cease-fire in January 1949 and both
countries agreed on an UN-supervised plebiscite to determine the state’s future under the
precondition that both nation’s forces retreat from Kashmir. The two armies have not
retreated, and the plebiscite has never taken place. In 1965, tensions once more flared
between Pakistan and India, with frequent border skirmishes in the Rann of Kutch in
southern Pakistan as well as along the Kashmir border, with efforts by India to incorporate
presidential rule onto the state of Kashmir. Following a Pakistani incursion in Kashmir,
India launched attacks on the cities of Lahore and Sialkot on the 6th of September 1965. An
UN-brokered ceasefire under the auspices of the USSR came into effect two weeks into the
offensive, with the Tashkent declaration signed a year later, where both parties agreed to
return their armies to their pre-August 1964 positions, a decision many regarded as a
submission to India.
With the Indian intervention in the civil war in East Pakistan in 1971, saw the beginning of
another Indo-Pakistan war. The war resulted in the formal separation of East and West
Pakistan, with East Pakistan being declared as the independent nation of Bangladesh. The
following year the President Bhutto and Indian Prime Minister Gandhi met and signed the
Simla Agreement, wherein captured territory and soldiers were returned, and both leaders
endorsed the principle of settlement of bilateral disputes through peaceful means. Trade and
diplomatic relations were restored in 1976 after a hiatus of 5 years.

India’s nuclear test in 1974 was perceived as a threatening gesture by Pakistan, and
laid the foundations for the development of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program. In April
1984, tensions erupted after troops were deployed to the Siachen Glacier near the Chinese
border, a region that was not demarcated under the 1949 cease-fire agreement. In December
1985, President Zia and Prime Minister Gandhi pledged not to attack each other’s nuclear
facilities, with a formal agreement signed to this effect in January 1991. In early 1986, the
Indian and Pakistani Governments began high-level talks to resolve the Siachen Glacier
border dispute and to improve trade.

In May 1998, the Pakistani government declared a state of emergency and undertook a series of
nuclear tests, in response to those carried out by India. Amidst an international outcry, the US and
other states imposed economic sanctions against both countries. In spite of the tension that
ensued, bilateral relations looked to improve in February 1999 when Indian Prime Minister
Vajpayee travelled to Lahore for a summit with his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif. However,
when Pakistani infiltrators occupied positions near the town of Kargil in Indian-administered Kash-
mir, any political progress that was made was negated. The Kargil offensive escalated into what was
almost a full-scale war, fought between irregular forces on the Pakistani side, and the Indian army.
Eventually, with the international community bringing to bear its influence against Pakistan’s
incursion, Nawaz Sharif pulled out all ‘militants’ from Kashmir under a deal brokered by the US.
Soon thereafter, relations deteriorated further when militants attacked the Indian parliament in
December 2001. Although tensions rose significantly following the attack, both countries showed
restraint and by resumed bilateral talks in 2004. After a destructive earthquake hit the Kashmir
region in October 2005, the two countries cooperated with each other to deal with the
humanitarian crisis. The 2007 Samjhauta Express bombing, the July 2008 bombing of the Indian
Embassy in Kabul, and the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in November 2008 brought dialogue to a halt
again, but the Foreign Ministers of the two countries met in 2010, and hopes of more wide-
ranging, high-level talks are once again emerging.

Bangladesh

Pakistan enjoys warm relations with Bangladesh (erstwhile East Pakistan), despite
the strained early days of their relationship. Landmarks in their reconciliation are: • An
August 1973 agreement between Bangladesh and Pakistan on the repatriation of numerous
individuals, including 90,000 Pakistani prisoners of war stranded in Bangladesh as a result
of the 1971 conflict;

A February 1974 accord by Bangladesh and Pakistan on mutual diplomatic

recognition, followed more than 2 years later by establishment of formal diplomatic
relations on January 18th 1976; • The organization by the UN High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) of an airlift that moved almost 250,000 Bengalis from Pakistan to
Bangladesh, and non-Bengalis from Bangladesh to Pakistan; and • Exchanges of high-level
visits, including a visit by Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto to Bangladesh in 1989 and visits
by Prime Minister Khalida Zia to Pakistan in 1992 and in 1995. Still to be resolved are the
division of assets from the pre-1971 period and the status of more than 250,000 non-
Bengalis who are ethnically Biharis also known as Stranded Pakistanis remaining in
Bangladesh but seeking resettlement in Pakistan.

Afghanistan

Sharing cultural, ethnic and religious ties, Pakistan and Afghanistan relations have
always been close, yet conflicts over the Durand line, the Soviet Afghan war, Pakistan’s
support to the Taliban regime, the role of Pakistan in the War on Terror and the growing
cross-border militancy has strained relations between the two countries.

At the time of Pakistan’s independence, Kabul was supportive of an independent

North West Frontier Province, known as ‘Pashtunistan’, harboring the idea that this state
would be eventually absorbed into Afghanistan. In Septum- bar 1947, Afghanistan was the
only country to oppose Pakistan’s membership to UN, citing the Pashtunistan debate. The
Durand Line1 agreement on the frontier between the two countries, inherited from the
British Raj, has never been formally accepted by Afghanistan as the international border,
which has led to mistrust and occasional tension on both sides, although no armed conflict
has ever ensued between the two states.

Following the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the Pakistani Government under
General Zia-ul-Haq played a vital role in supporting the Afghan resistance movement
known as the ‘Mujahideen’. Negotiations between the various stakeholders in Afghanistan
were mediated by Pakistan, until the signing of the Geneva Accord in April 1988, which led
to the Soviets leaving the country in two instalments. The Afghan war saw a mass exodus of
at least three million refugees crossing the border into Pakistan, with constant turmoil in the
country preventing them from returning to Afghanistan for the decades to come. At a high
economic cost, extensive support was provided to the refugees, and in 1999, more than 1.2
million registered Afghan refugees remained in Pakistan, with an estimated million more
unregistered.

After the defeat of the Soviet Union, successive Mujahideen governments stayed in
power for almost seven years, but Afghanistan was plunged into civil war. No meaningful
post-war reconstruction took place – instead, the country was divided into fiefdoms with
different groups and warlords overseeing administration in their respective areas. The
Taliban movement began in southern Afghanistan in the early 1990s, largely as a reaction to
the unlimited power of the warlords. Pakistan, which was already suspected of supporting
the movement, was one of three countries to recognize the Taliban regime when the
movement swept to power in Kabul in 1996. Relations between Pakistan and the Taliban
regime remained close, although the Taliban never formally acknowledged the legitimacy of
the Durand Line.

After the attacks on US soil in September 2001, General Musharraf’s government

reassessed Pakistan’s relations with the Taliban, and decided that Pakistan would support
the US in the War against Terror. The present administration in Afghanistan has had
strained relations with Pakistan, repeatedly expressing the fear that factions within Pakistan
support the Taliban insurgency, with Pakistan vehemently denying the charges. Recent
moves made by the government of India to improve economic and political ties with
Afghanistan have made Pakistan uneasy, further complicating the relationship with the
Afghan government.

Being landlocked, Afghanistan relies on its neighbors for shipping links with
international markets. Pakistan first signed a Transit Trade Agreement with Afghanistan in
1965. This was updated in 2010, with the introduction of provisions such as the need for all
transit trade to take place through bonded containers, tracking devices to be installed on
trucks, etc. Under the terms of the new agreement, Afghan truckers can traverse Pakistan
and pick up cargo from the Pakistani port cities of Karachi and Lahore.

People’s Republic of China

China and Pakistan are close strategic allies, a relationship that began in 1951 when
Pakistan recognized the People’s Republic of China and broke relations with Taiwan.
Favorable relations with China are a key pillar of Pakistan’s foreign policy. A mutually
supportive relationship has developed over the years, benefitting both nations on diplomatic,
economic and military frontiers. Since the 1962 Sino-Indian war, China has supported
Pakistan in most of its disagreements with India, and in response Pakistan has remained
steadfast in its support of China’s territorial sovereignty. In 1962 Pakistan and China signed
a boundary agreement on the alignment of the Sino-Pakistani boundary, eliminating any
chance of conflict, and a similar agreement was signed in March 1963 for Xinjiang and
adjacent areas.

The visit of Premier Zhou Enlai to Pakistan in February 1964 and that of President
Ayub Khan in December the same year paved the way for a new era of friendship and
partnership between the two countries. Pakistan was instrumental in opening the door to the
West for China, facilitating President Nixon’s historic trip to China in 1971. Initially,
Pakistan’s military depended mainly on the US for aid, which increased during the Soviet-
Afghan war. The withdrawal of the Soviets saw a gradual shift in US foreign policy towards
Pakistan, and bilateral aid was finally suspended in 1990 under the Pressler Amendment.2
The ‘betrayal’ felt on part of Pakistan led to a strategic shift towards a more reliable ally,
and resulted in strengthening defense ties with China.

The first trade agreement between China and Pakistan was signed in 1963, and in
October 1982, the China-Pakistan Joint Committee of Economy, Trade and Technology was
set up. Since the 1990s, bilateral trade has witnessed relatively fast growth, with China
played a major role in supplying equipment and technology for Pakistan’s energy sector
development. China is also a major supplier of defense equipment to the Pakistan Army. In
the recent years development cooperation with China’s has speeded up, and although
military and technological transactions continue to dominate the relationship, the trends
include extensive economic support and investment in a significant number of infrastructure
projects.

Iran

Historically, Pakistan has always had close geopolitical and cultural/religious

linkages with Iran. Iran was the first country to recognize the newly independent state of
Pakistan. In the 1960s and 1970s, many economic and political ties between the two
countries were particularly strong, with the signing of the Central Treaty Organization
(CENTO), a US sponsored initiative in which Pakistan, Iran and Turkey pledged to
implement defense cooperation agreements purportedly against possible aggression from the
Soviet Union.

Wishing to strengthen economic ties, Pakistan, Iran and Turkey signed the Regional
Cooperation for Development (RCD) Pact in 1965. After the Iranian revolution, RCD
became defunct, and a new group, the Economic Coop- eration Organisation (ECO) was
established in 1985. With the Shah of Iran overthrown, Ayatollah Khomeini followed a
more rigid foreign policy, disassociating itself from the US and US-friendly countries such
as Pakistan. Despite this, Pakistan was one of the first countries to recognise the new
government after the revolution. During the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, ties between the
countries improved, with their coordinated covert support for the Afghani Mujahideen.
However, the bilateral relationship was once again strained in the 1990s, with Iran increas-
ingly wary of Pakistan’s support to the Taliban. Iran and Pakistan have traditionally
supported opposing factions in Afghanistan, with Pakistan supporting the largely Pashtun
and Sunni Taliban, and Iran supporting the mainly Shia and Persian speaking Northern
Alliance. Anti-Shiite sentiments of the Taliban and subsequent sectarian violence in
Afghanistan in the wake of the Taliban’s victory led to a cooling of relations.

In spite of these periodic setbacks, Iran and Pakistan have in general supported each
other in the international community. Since the revolution, Iran has no diplomatic relations
with the US, and Iranian interests in the US are represented by the Pakistani Embassy. Trade
between the countries has been increasing consistently since the fall of the Taliban, with
several large infrastructure projects in the pipeline, including a possible rail network,
motorway and a controversial gas pipeline project that originally included India, but is now
bilateral. In February 2012, Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad visited Islamabad to
participate in trilateral talks including Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran. The meeting was
significant in that the Pakistan government came out strongly in support of the Iran-Pakistan
gas pipeline project, and also pledged to stand by Iran as the increasingly beleaguered
country faces international sanctions for its alleged development of nuclear weapons.

United States

The US and Pakistan have enjoyed diplomatic relations since Pakistan’s

independence, and have a history of strong economic and military ties. Although the two
countries have been strategic allies over the decades, fear and mistrust have plagued their
relationship on several occasions. Economic and military assistance was instrumental in
Pakistan’s signing of the US-led CENTO 3 pact, which meant to contain Soviet expansion
in the Middle East, as well as the South East Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO)4pact,
limiting the sphere of interest of Communist China. Both treaties were signed in 1955, and
were modelled after NATO. In 1965, during the Indo-Pak war, military assistance from the
US was suspended to both countries, and Pakistan was not shown any preferential treatment
in spite of its membership of the US sponsored multilateral defense cooperation
mechanisms. After 1965, Pakistan reconsidered its Western orientation and proceeded to
withdraw from SEATO, thereby opening up dialogue with China.
 Although relations improved with arms sales from the US to Pakistan renewing in
1975, economic assistance to Pakistan was once more cut off in 1979 under the Symington
Amendment to the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, with concerns over the development of
Pakistan’s nuclear programmed. These restrictions were waived when Pakistan moved to
provide assistance to the Afghan Mujahideen during the Soviet invasion. However, even in
periods of cooperation, relations with the US are apt to be volatile, if not at a government to
government level, then at a people to people level. For example, in 1979, protesters sacked
the US embassy in Islamabad, resulting in the death of four persons. The violence had been
sparked by a false report that the US was involved in the siege of the Grand Mosque in
Makkah in November that year.

US–Pakistan relations strengthened under the backdrop of the Cold War,

culminating in the Soviet invasion of December 1979. Through the covert support of the
US, Pakistan supported the Afghani Mujahideen. Pakistan held out for increased civilian
and military aid in this period, with General Zia-ul-Haq refusing the outgoing Carter
administration’s offer of $400 million in aid, until a $3.2 billion military and economic
assistance programme was agreed on in 1981. The continuation of the war in Afghanistan
led to waivers of legislative restrictions for Pakistan, on providing aid to countries with
nuclear programs.

In March 1986, the two countries agreed on a second multi-year (FY 1988-93) $4
billion economic development and security assistance program. However, aid was sus-
pended under the Pressler Amendment from for the decade of the 1990s. Aid already stood
suspended in 1998, when Pakistan carried out nuclear tests. But the tests brought strong
condemnation from the US, as well as additional sanctions on humanitarian aid.

The attacks of September 11 and the subsequent US-led War on Terror changed the
US-Pakistan relationship significantly. General Musharraf’s decision to support the US
campaign in Afghanistan dramatically increased military and economic assistance to the
country, with a $3 billion package commencing in 2005, and the designation of Pakistan as a
major non-NATO ally. In addition, nearly $510 million for relief and reconstruction was
provided to the country after the devastating earthquake of October 2005. The Kerry-Lugar-
Berman (KLB) bill passed in 2009 provides for $1.5 billion in non-military assistance to be
provided to Pakistan annually for 5 years. Despite these pledges, actual disbursements to
Pakistan have remained relatively low.

The War on Terror is highly unpopular in Pakistan, and has been blamed for the
deepening insecurity in Pakistan, the rise of militancy and extremism, and even the eco-
nomic problems that the country has faced over the last five years. The US has, since 2007,
carried out a policy of carrying out drone attacks in the border regions of Pakistan to target
leaders of the insurgency in Afghanistan. Although the US claims that the strategy has been
successful, it has made the US increasingly unpopular in Pakistan, with the aerial incursions
being seen as violated of Pakistan’s sovereignty. The alleged activities of US undercover
security personnel in Pakistan have also increasingly come to be questioned. One such
undercover operative, Raymond Davis, was involved in an incident of shooting in the city of
Lahore, and was released only on the payment of blood money to the relatives of his
victims.

Distrust between the two countries has intensified following the killing of Osama
Bin Laden in the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad in May 2011. US officials have
repeatedly stated that Pakistani authorities were either complicit in Osama’s concealment or
were incompetent in that no official agency seemed to be aware of the fact that the most
wanted man in the world was in Pakistan. Currently, Pakistani authorities are holding a
doctor who is accused of orchestrating a fake vaccination campaign in Abbottabad, which
allegedly helped the US to confirm the whereabouts of Osama Bin Laden. The doctor has
been charged with treason for helping out the intelligence services of a foreign power. The
US has called for his release and repatriation to the US, in a new development that is likely
to further raise tension between the two countries.

United Kingdom

Until 1947, Pakistan (then part of India), was part of the British Empire. After
independence, Pakistan remained a British dominion until 1956, when Pakistan became a re-
public. Post-independence Pakistan saw a flood of emigrations towards the UK, and
according to a 2001 survey in the UK, up to 1 million people of Pakistani descent currently
live in the UK. There is over $1.5 billion worth of trade flow between the two countries each
year. The UK is Pakistan’s second largest investor, after the US.

European Union and Spain

Pakistan enjoys cordial relations with members of EU, with trade relationships
established with many EU members. Substantial foreign investments in Pakistan come from
a number of European countries, which are also a source of important development
assistance.

Bilateral relations with Spain were established in the late 1950s, with various cooperation
agreements signed between the two countries. The 1970s saw a movement of Pakistani emigration
towards Spain, mainly towards Catalonia, with a large influx of Pakistanis in the early 2000s when
Spain introduced a scheme of legal amnesty for illegal immigrants living in the country. 2001 saw
Spain contribute to the ISAF troops in Afghanistan, with Spain’s Defense Minister visiting Pakistan
to meet Spanish troops. The launch of Spain’s 2005 Asia-Pacific Plan saw improved relations with
Pakistan, with a visit from former President Pervez Musharraf in 2007, signing MOUs in the fields of
science, culture,technology,tourismandeducation.

Russian Federation
In 1948, diplomatic relations were established between Pakistan and the Russian Federation.
Under President Ayub Khan, advances were made in relations between the two countries yet
Soviet arms sales to India, during and after the 1971 Indo-Pak war did weaken bilateral
relations. President Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto once more made great strides in improving bilateral
relations, with a trip to Moscow in 1974, with substantial economic investments were made
by the Soviet Union in steels mills and oil exploration. However, with General Zia-ul-Haq
replacing Bhutto, the clash of ideology between the two nations deteriorated the status quo.
The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and Pakistan’s subsequent material and economic
support of the Mujahideen rebel movement led to severe tension. With the withdrawal of
Soviet troops, relations did defrost but Pakistan’s support of the Taliban did remain a source
of contention.

With Pakistan’s decision to join the international struggle against global terrorism, relations
with Russia improved once more. The Russian Prime Minister visited Pakistan in 2007,
emphasizing ways to improve cooperation between the two countries. Although Putin had
stated that Russia would not engage with Pakistan in military and strategic ties, this was
reversed in 2011 when Russia endorsed Pakistan’s bid to join the Shanghai Cooperation
Organisation5 and offered assistance in partnering in the expansion of Pakistan’s steel and
coal sectors.

Turkey

Relations between Pakistan and Turkey have traditionally been very strong, with
extensive cultural, economic and religious ties between the two nations dating back
centuries. Relations between the two countries were established soon after independence,
and in April 1954, a pact of friendship and cooperation was signed between the two coun-
tries. Soon after, both countries joined the US-led CENTO to bolster military and strategic
cooperation to contain the spread of Soviet influence. Both countries are members of the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and founding members of the Economic Cooperation
Organization. In April 2007 Turkey initiated the trilateral Ankara process, meant to enhance
coordination amongst itself, Pakistan and Afghanistan. In 2009 the three countries
committed to increasing coordination in the political, military and intelligence tiers in the
battle against militancy and terrorism, and Turkey pledged $100 million to projects in
education, infrastructure and health to Pakistan. In dire situations, Turkey has been a reliable
ally, with providing over $150 million in 2005 after the earthquake and $11 million in 2010
after the floods, not to mention the active presence of the Turkish Red Crescent.

Turkey has always been a support of Pakistan in its stance towards Kashmir, with
Pakistan maintaining a similar position with respect to Northern Cyprus. Turkey and
Pakistan have strong military and strategic cooperation, with the provision of equipment and
military training to soldiers. A preferential trade agreement has been signed between the two
countries, and both have sought to increase bilateral trade. A railway network between the
two countries for cargo has also been established in 2009, with the promise of a passenger
train to follow. Former and current leaders of Pakistan have expressed the desire to progress
in a similar model as that of Turkey of modernism and secularism. The Prime Minister of
Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the fourth world leader to have spoken in the Pakistani
parliament.
Saudi Arabia

As leading Muslim countries, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have developed deep bilateral ties
based in cultural, trade, religious and strategic arenas, and play prominent roles in the
organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Saudi Arabia has always been a staunch
supporter of Pakistan in its problems towards India, and was especially against the Indian
intervention in the separatist movement in East Pakistan, yet as of late has advocated for the
peace process between the two nations. In the 1970s, Saudi Arabia had deep relationship
with General Zia-ul-Haq and his ‘Islamization’ process, seeing a heavy inflow of aid for
religious education. Saudi Arabia along with Pakistan provided support to the Afghani
Mujahideen during the Soviet invasion, and in the 1990s along with UAE and Pakistan,
recognized the Taliban government in Afghanistan. Saudi Arabia has provided extensive
military support with equipment, arms, training and shared scientific research. Saudi Arabia
remains an important immigration destination for Pakistani laborer’s with short term
contracts, thereby providing a steady flow of remittances back to Pakistan.

International Disputes

 Durand line issue with Afghanistan.

 Status of Kashmir with the Indian Republic.
 Boundary issues in the Rann of Kutch and the Ferozepur and Pathankot issues of the
Radcliffe Line with the Republic of India.
 Please note: northern boundaries have been in dispute more or less since the end of
the colonial era in 1947. Maps representing a Pakistani perspective indicate the
nation's boundaries (and the status of Kashmir) quite differently from maps
representing the perspective of the Government of India. The matter both reflects
and generates conflicts.
 Water-sharing problems with India over the Indus River (Wular Barrage)
 Illicit drugs o Pakistan is also a producer of illicit opium and hashish for the
international drug trade (poppy cultivation in 1999 - 15.7 km&sup2, a 48% drop
from 1998 because of eradication and alternative development); key transit area for
Southwest Asian heroin moving to Western markets; narcotics still move from
AfghanistanintoBaluchistan,Pakistan.